Every
season in Oregon brings its own special scenery, from the snowy Cascade
mountain peaks of wintertime to the explosion of colorful wildflowers
in the late spring. But with its perfect temperatures, crisp blue skies
and golden and red leaves, if you’re looking for the best time of year
to get out and enjoy the outdoors, autumn in Oregon is hard to beat. Read
on for your guide to fall’s leaf-peeping hot spots across the state.

Oregon Coast
Take a drive along
the beautiful Oregon Coast on Highway 101, one of the first National Scenic
Byways. Not only will you be able to take in the coast’s historic lighthouses,
quaint beach towns and spectacular Pacific Ocean views, but the fall colors
along the way are a sight to see as well. Highlights: Yellow alder leaves
contrast with the orange of the maples and reds of the dogwoods along
Highway 126, which connects Eugene to the coast. The Sunset and Wilson
River highways (26, 6 and 101) offer a scenic loop from Portland to Oregon’s
northern beaches and back through the rolling Coast Range, dressed for
autumn in green, red and gold.

Willamette Valley
With easy-to-navigate
access along Interstate 5, or the leisurely, scenic routes of Highways
99E and 99W, leaf seekers will find endless opportunities for foliage
sighting. Side roads leading into the foothills on either side of I-5
reveal an autumn reminiscent of New England, complete with covered bridges,
quaint country schools, churches and barns. Highlights: Follow one of
the country’s most beautiful whitewater trout streams along the enchanting
McKenzie River Highway (Highway 126) east from Eugene-Springfield through
bright fall foliage to the McKenzie River’s source at Clear Lake, a great
spot for fishing, picnicking and hiking. A side trip along Highway 242
winds over McKenzie Pass in the high Cascades until winter snows close
the route.

Mt. Hood/Columbia River Gorge
Ski, hike, windsurf and wander Mt. Hood and its fertile foothills. This
diverse region is one of the largest fruit producers in Oregon, making
for an abundant fall harvest. In one afternoon, travel from Oregon’s highest
peak to the majestic Columbia River Gorge. Highlights: Follow the Mt.
Hood Scenic Byway around the base of Oregon’s highest peak (11,235 ft/
3,424m), and traverse timbered slopes, temperate rain forests, semi-arid
uplands, and mountain meadows. The route descends through the farm land
and orchards of the Hood River Valley to the magnificent, Historic Columbia
River Highway Scenic Byway, where visitors can see 11 waterfalls in an
11-mile section. Completing the loop back to Portland is an easy day’s
drive.

Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon encompasses the Southern Cascades leading up to Diamond
Lake and Crater Lake along the Umpua and Rogue Rivers, meeting the Siskiyou
Mountains at the California border. The Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway is home
to 15 waterfalls, and the Siskiyous are heavily forested and dappled with
small farms. Try Highways 138, 230, 234, 62, or 199 for an escape into
this captivating corner of Oregon. Highlights: Travel to the Klamath Basin
(Highways 97, 66) to see endless aspen groves and the state’s largest
body of water, Klamath Lake, which is a resting spot for some 7 million
migratory waterfowl from the peculiar pelican to the snow goose.

Central Oregon
The high desert of Central Oregon offers a unique experience for fall
foliage seekers. With 300 days of sunshine a year, ancient lava flows,
snowy Cascade Mountains, and over 150 rivers and lakes, don’t miss an
escape into this pristine landscape. Highlights: In the heart of Central
Oregon, take a stroll through Bend’s beautiful Drake Park. Also, see the
amazing shade of crimson of the Burning Bush, just changing colors in
Bend’s Old Mill District. Hike or bike the Deschutes River Trail near
Dillon Falls trailhead to see Central Oregon’s full range of colors.

Information courtesy of Travel Lane County.
For more information about Oregon’s fall foliage, visit the Oregon Fall
Foliage blog at oregonfallfoliage.com,
follow them on Twitter at @ORFallFoliage or call the Travel Lane County
Fall Foliage Hotline at 800-547-5445.

Hikes:Here are some of the best Central
Oregon hikes this fall and all year round.

Shevlin Park
Shevlin Park offers a wooded oasis just a couple minutes outside town.
Enjoy watching the Tumalo Creek flow by as you stroll through the towering
pines. The aspen leaves usher in autumn with a brilliant golden color.
To get there, take Newport Avenue and follow it until it turns into Shevlin
Park Road, then turn left at the park.

Upper Deschutes River Trail
The Deschutes River is one of the jewels of Central Oregon recreation,
and there are miles of scenic hikes along the water. Access one of these
trails at the Meadow Camp picnic area off Century Drive, where you’ll
turn left just before Widgi Creek golf course. From Meadow Camp to Benham
Falls, there’s an 8.5-mile scenic hike.

Tumalo Falls
One of Central Oregon’s most photographed water features is Tumalo Falls.
As the seasons change, the trees all around the waterfall offer up a colorful
autumn palette, and the attraction makes an easy hike whether you just
want to see the falls or you’re up for the four-mile journey along Tumalo
Creek to Happy Valley. From downtown Bend, take Franklin Avenue past Drake
Park, and take a right onto Galveston Ave. Drive about 10 miles on Galveston
(which turns into Skyliners Road), and turn left onto Road 4603 after
you cross Tumalo Creek.

Green Lakes Trail
The Green Lakes Trail offers spectacular views of the rapids of Fall Creek,
and its canopy of shady trees makes it a popular hike during the heat
of summer. But in the fall, the variety of plant life creates a spectrum
of gold and red leaves to mix in with the evergreens. If you’d like, you
can hike anywhere from 4.5 miles to the first lake on the trail, or hike
about 3 more to see all the lakes, then double back to the road for a
full day of hiking. To access the trail, drive up the Cascade Lakes Highway
past Mt. Bachelor, Todd Lake and Sparks Lake, and watch for the Green
Lakes trailhead sign. Cascade Lakes highway usually closes sometime in
November.

Metolius River Trail
Metolius River is known for its ample fishing and for its amazingly crystal-clear
blue waters. The trail starts near Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery in Camp
Sherman, located at 7500 Forest Service Road 14 about 10 miles from Highway
20 past Sisters. It’s an easy 2.5-mile hike to the Canyon Creek Campground.

My First FlightTandem Paragliding in Central Oregon

BY VALERIE CLARK
DISCOVERY FEATURES WRITER

I
woke up early on Saturday, July 24 to see Bend’s famous “lawn-chair balloon”
aviator launch for his latest airborne journey. The morning offered clear
blue skies, perfect for a flight. As the crowd counted down to the launch
and Kent Couch gracefully lifted off, little did I know that by the end
of the day, I would have had my own experience soaring high above the
earth.

As I walked my dog on the Deschutes River
Trail later that morning, I finally got the call I’d been anticipating
for several months. It was Steve Roti, a member of the High Desert Air
Riders, a group of Central Oregonians who’ve adopted paragliding as their
hobby. He said the weather forecast was perfect for the evening, if I
was still interested in taking a tandem flight. My answer? Absolutely.

True to its reputation as a haven for
outdoor recreation of all kinds, Central Oregon has become a popular location
for paragliding. Unlike hang gliding, which utilizes a rigid-frame glider,
paragliding uses a parachute-like structure that glides on rising air
currents. The sport started as we know it today in mountainous areas of
the United States and Europe in the late 1970s, according to the U.S.
Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association.

Gliders climb to a high point of a mountain,
strap themselves into their gliding harnesses and simply step off the
slope, floating into the air and controlling themselves with lines that
make the wing rise or descend. Much more common in Europe, the sport is
still catching on in the United States, but with its plentiful launch
sites and gorgeous scenery, Oregon has become a popular destination for
paragliding. So at last, it looked like I would finally take to the skies!
I’d wanted to try paragliding ever since my husband got to take a tandem
flight with Steve nearly a year ago. Steve was kind enough to offer to
take me as well, but my first two attempts were grounded because of bad
weather.

I was hoping the third time would be the
charm as we drove out past Millican to Pine Mountain, the launch site.
Any nervousness I might have had about flying was abated by the fact that
I’d actually tried to do it twice before, so I was familiar with much
of the process. Plus, Steve’s knowledge and experience definitely put
me at ease. The first step in the flight was to strap on my “flight gear”
and hike about a third of the way up the mountain, where Steve then helped
me put on my harness. Despite the July heat, I wore long pants, gloves
and a jacket so that I would be comfortable in the cool air of the upper
atmosphere. In a tandem flight, the experienced pilot rides in the back
while the “passenger” rides up front.

Pilot and passenger must make sure they’re
synchronized as they prepare for takeoff, and Steve reviewed the commands
with me as we prepared for launch. The “ready” command signaled me to
lean forward in a running stance; “pull” meant that the wing was going
to start pulling us backwards, so we would need to run backwards with
it a bit while leaning forward; and “run” meant that I was just a few
steps away from experiencing the miracle of flight! So there we were,
standing on the edge of Pine Mountain, ready for our flight. This was
when I did start to get a little bit nervous. What if I stumble and fall
during the lift-off? I’m not always known for my coordination, whether
I’m falling off of a ski lift on my snowboard or I’m tripping over my
own feet. And sure enough, in our first attempt, the strong wind pulled
the wing to the side, and I tried to run backwards and sideways to keep
up with the pull, but ended up falling down. But I blame that on the wind,
not my clumsiness. Just seconds later, we made our second attempt and
flawlessly drifted into the sky.

It was an indescribable feeling as my
feet effortlessly left the ground and we began to soar! We drifted higher
and higher on currents of air, making our way towards the summit of Pine
Mountain. With a bird’s eye view, it felt like I could see forever, from
the old-growth pine trees below us to the surrounding scrub brush of Eastern
Oregon to the Cascade Mountains in the distance. It was an unforgettable
way to experience the High Desert landscape, and although I brought my
camera, I didn’t take many pictures, preferring instead to just “be in
the moment” and take it all in. Before I knew it, Steve and I had become
the highest gliders in the sky, as several others swirled beneath us on
bright orange or red wings.

It was such a smooth ride, peaceful and
serene; the purest form of flight that I can imagine. One of the only
bumps I felt came when another glider drifted past us, and Steve explained
that it was a “wake” in the air just like boats create in water. Though
Steve was most definitely in control of the flight, he did let me take
the reins for a few minutes. The wing can be turned with a simple tug
on the lines on either side. It’s a three-step process: look around to
make sure no other gliders are near you, lean over to the side you want
to turn to, and give a smooth, gentle pull on the line. It was incredible
to feel how easily I could maneuver us with just a little effort. After
several moments spent floating high above Pine Mountain’s summit watching
the other gliders and admiring the beauty of the landscape as the sun
drifted behind the Cascades, painting the sky with a beautiful sunset,
Steve said it was time to head in for our landing. Though I was treasuring
every moment of the once-in-a-lifetime experience, I have to admit that
my stomach was ready to be back on solid ground by that point, towards
the end of our 40-minute flight.

Expertly navigating the rising and sinking
air currents, Steve began to guide us gently back down to earth. I was
amazed at how I could suddenly feel the warmth of the air as we neared
the ground, giving the invisible layers of the atmosphere a tangible feel.
I got ready to run again as we neared the ground, and our landing was
perfect. I was so grateful for such an incredible experience! For more
information about paragliding in Central Oregon, visit the Desert Air
Riders’ website at www.desertairriders.org.
The club’s 20th-annual Pine Mountain Fly-In, a gathering of flying friends,
is set for Sept. 4-6.

Group Aims to Save Live Theatre,
One Bar at a Time

During
the cold of this past winter, David Orton and Kelly D. Edwards met while
working together on a promotional music video. Orton was the director
and cinematographer on the project, Edwards was the talent.

They were impressed with each others’ work ethic,
as Edwards explained that: “We ended up accomplishing a majority of the
project ourselves.” The collaboration seemed to work so they approached
friend and fellow hard worker, Todd Schmidt, and soon they formed TWB
Productions. TWB Productions stands for Theatre With Beer (and/or Balls)
and is a local, for profit, professional live theatre company whose mission
is to introduce live theatre to non-traditional audiences in a relaxed
pub setting (meaning eat and drink before, during and after the show).

Edwards said, “We chose Lamppost Reunion as our
first project because it takes place in a bar and thusly is perfect for
“pub theatre.” McMenamins shares our vision and has actively put forth
all of their staff resources at our disposal, insuring for a wonderful
pub theatre experience. “TWB Productions is a group of like-minded individuals
who have one shared goal to help save live theatre from extinction,” said
Edwards.

To accomplish this heady task, they resurrected
Louis LaRusso’s Lamppost Reunion and have been showcasing it at Bend’s
McMenamins Old St. Francis School. Lamppost Reunion, a timeless tale staged
in a bar (the audience seems like they’re part of the performance), was
nominated for a Tony Award for Best New Play and for Lead Actor (Danny
Aiello 1976). The interaction between the bartender and his four customers
is reminiscent of something that might have happened to Frank Sinatra
and in fact Sinatra attempted to have a judge issue a court order to shut
the play down (so as not to show the world this dark part of his life).

Still the group says they had a heck of a time
convincing bar owners that they could draw people in on slow nights.”McMenamins
‘got’ and understood our vision,” remarked Edwards. “Sales Manager Cynthia
Gozalez welcomed TWB and has steadfastly put all the McMenamins staff
support towards the project’s success.” To make the play as authentic
as possible TWB designed and built a functional bar set. The design had
to be sturdy enough to withstand having to set it up, and break it down
nightly, big enough to look like a real ‘’seedy’’ bar in Hoboken New Jersey
and small enough to break down and fit in a transport trailer.

“Men and woman have been sharing stories and ‘acting
them out’ since the cave man days, sitting around the community fire,”
said Edwards. “This is a true human art form that unfortunately has fallen
to the wayside due to mankind’s addiction to electronic media technology (i.e.:
TV, cable, the internet, video games). “Our ultimate goal, first and foremost,
is to attract a new and vibrant audience to all theatres in order to save
live theatre as a collective whole.”

Monday, 8pm July 26 A Special Benefit Performance
for the National Transplant Assistance Fund, to help with the medical
and associated costs of a kidney transplant for Bend resident Bonnie Morrissey.
Lamppost Reunion www.BendTicket.com in advance at $20 (per person), and
$25 (per person) at the door. 100% of the proceeds going to Bonnie’s medical
expenses through the NTAF.

In the years that Bonnie and Monterey Morrissey
have lived in the Central Oregon area, they have been involved in the
theatre and performing arts community, both behind the scenes with Film
Oregon Alliance, the Tower Theatre, and Innovation Theatre Works, and
on stage with Around the Bend Radio Theatre and Buckboard Productions.
Bonnie needs a new kidney because of the hereditary Polycystic Kidney
Disease (PKD) that runs in her family. She is healthy right now, but
doctors anticipate she will need a new kidney in the next few years.
Donations can be made to her at www.ntafund.org/find-a-patient, or call
Yoleen Faerber 541-633-9637.